CA CA - San Diego, CA Wht Fem 30-50, "Bag lady" well known in community, stabbed and burned Oct 1981 - Elaine Rose Armstrong

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The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

1476UFCA

1476UFCA - Unidentified Female
1476UFCA.jpg

Approximation of suspect's shoes.

Date of Discovery: October 16, 1981
Location of Discovery: San Diego County, California
Estimated Date of Death: Hours prior
State of Remains: Burned
Cause of Death: Homicide by stabbing

Physical Description
Estimated Age: 30-50 years old (most likely at older end of age range)
Race: White
Sex: Female
Height: 5'4" to 5'5"
Weight: 104 lbs.
Hair Color: Light to medium brown.
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown.

Identifiers
Dentals: Unknown.
Fingerprints: Unknown.
DNA: Unknown.

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: She was nude from the waist down. All clothing left on the body was severely burned.
Jewelry: Unknown.
Additional Personal Items: Unknown.

Circumstances of Discovery
The victim was found in a supine position near Vick's Office Supplies at 1753 Garnet Avenue.

The body had been burned after she was stabbed to death. Signs of a beating were also observed.

She was a known transient and was seen by residence nearly everyday. She was known as "Bag Lady."

A shoe print near the body suggested the type of footwear worn by an individual presumed to be involved in the murder.

Investigating Agency(s)
Agency Name: San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office
Agency Contact Person: Julio Estrada or Jennifer Wright
Agency Phone Number: 858-694-2905 or 858-694-2895
Agency E-Mail: Jennifer.Wright(at)sdcounty.ca.gov
Agency Case Number: 81-02225

Agency Name: San Diego Sheriff's Department Homicide Cold Case Team
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: 619-531-2293
Agency E-Mail: sdso.homicide(at)sdsheriff.org
Agency Case Number: Unknown

NCIC Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: 11737


According to namus

Circumstances of RecoveryThe decedent is a currently unidentified Caucasian female, estimated to be in her 40s. On the morning of 10/16/81, her burned body was found in the rear alley of a retail office supply store located at 1753 Garnet Avenue by an employee of the business. San Diego Police Department officers responded to the scene and found the decedent in a supine position on the ground among burned papers and debris. The anterior chest and truck, right arm, and posterior trunk and right leg were charred. Stab wounds were noted on the neck and homicide detectives were called to the scene.

Street view
Google Maps
 
ID'd by Othram as Elaine Armstrong.
In December 2023, using a manual fingerprint analysis, Medical Examiner Jennifer Wright confirmed the identification of "The Bag Lady" as Elaine Rose Armstrong. Elaine was born in 1930 and was originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Elaine's family has been notified of her identification and the remaining physical evidence from the crime scene will be re-examined in an attempt to identify the offender.
 
That recon is incredible. The two photos of her clearly show her much younger, I would say possibly as a teen. She was 51 when she died. But the recon and the photos look so alike to me, you can totally tell it's the same person. They captured her essence so well.

RIP Elaine.
 
''Armstrong's identity remained a mystery until a DNA profile recently developed by Othram, a private forensic biotechnology company, finally led to a major break in the case, SDPD Lt. Jud Campbell said.

"Cold-case homicides, particularly those with unidentified victims, are a continuous priority for the (SDPD) and the San Diego County District Attorney's Office," the lieutenant said Tuesday. "Investigators have been working together on this case, exhausting all possible leads (and) hoping identification of the victim will assist with finding the identity of her killer."

  • 1702432060320.png
  • Elaine Armstrong, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan, was recently identified as the victim in a 1981 San Diego cold case murder. Armstrong, 51 at the time of her death, was found beaten, stabbed and burned behind a Pacific Beach business.Provided by San Diego Police
 

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